Luke Donald, a professional for more than two decades, believes he may have done something for the first time on Friday.
And it wasn’t a good thing.
“I hit the wrong ball on [No.] 16. Which was, yeah, frustrating. I hit a poor tee shot left in the rough. The spotter kind of went straight to the ball and I just assumed it was mine and mine was a few feet left of it,” Donald said.
“Yeah, it was a costly 7.”
Full-field scores from the DS Automobiles Italian Open
Despite the two-stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball, and the subsequent triple bogey on his seventh hole of the day, as well a bogey-bogey finish, Donald shot 4-under 68 to move into contention at the DS Automobiles Italian Open.
The event is being contested at Marco Simone in Rome, Italy, site of next year’s Ryder Cup, of which Donald is leading the European team.
The 44-year-old might not have designs on being a playing captain, but he would like to regain some form. It’s been 10 years since he last won on either the DP World Tour or PGA Tour.
Birdie no.8 of the day for the @RyderCupEurope Captain 👏 @LukeDonald | #DS79OpendItalia pic.twitter.com/aF2wUpZhbB
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 16, 2022
The former world No. 1 is three shots off the lead, held by fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, who stands at 8 under par.
“I made a lot of birdies out there and hit a lot of good shots and overall pretty pleased with my game,” Donald said. “Disappointing finish to bogey [Nos.] 8 and 9, but there was a lot of good in there.”